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Bruce Robinson: Time Traveler

by Alex H.

Author's note: This is/ was not intended to be a religous book in any way, as chapter 10 might suggest.
Latest edit:
Note: My "t" key is not working very well, so I may have left it out on accident. If you see a case like that, please fix it and wiki e-mail me. Also, some of my chapters are very short. Please keep in mind that I am only a fifth grader, and this is not my final draft. Thanks, and enjoy the show... book, I mean.
Time: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Time Pod Nora. Its ongoing mission: to explore strange new times, to seek out
new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where noone has gone before.

Prologue(before you read the book, start this song)

Bruce Robinson was an ordinary twelve-year old boy, a little tall for his age, with eyes the color of the sky. He has many friends in his little neighborhood. But that is all about to change...

Chapter 1: The Shooting Star

Bruce Robinson was standing outside his house. It was a warm summer night. He was looking at the stars. He loved to watch the stars. They were fascinating to him. To think they were actually burning balls of effluvium. He thought he saw something move. He looked again. There it was. A star was moving towards the earth. Towards him. A shooting star. He watched it disappear above the top of the trees in the forest in front of his house.
Wow! He thought,I wonder what it looks like when a shooting star hits the ground.
And so Bruce looked to make sure nobody could see him from the house thinking, I'll just be a minute. Then he went off to the far side of the forest to see the shooting star. The forest was very big, and lots of wild animals like wolves, bears, and stray dogs lived in it. Bruce was not usually allowed to go into the forest at night. That, and he was too scared anyways. But not tonight. That was the strange part. He felt something pulling him forward, a curious sensation that wasn't fear, or curiosity, or even bravery, even though Bruce could be very brave sometimes.
Bruce was walking fast along the trail when he stepped on a tree branch. It cracked with a resounding crack!. He heard an owl hoot. He froze, thinking the animals must have heard him now, panicked, and started to run. He was a fast runner, but couldn't run very long. Usually, that is. But tonight was a very unusual night. many things were different, many things whole that were meant to be separated and broken apart, and many things apart that should be united.
Bruce finally sprinted into a clearing. He had run through countless just like it already, although he knew he wasn't lost,(he had a great sense of direction)but something made him stop. He wasn't tired, not yet. In fact, he felt less tired than before he had starting running, ready to run a 10-mile triathlon. He walked over to the center of the clearing. What he saw made his heart race.

Chapter 2: The Time Machine

Bruce looked into the pit in the middle of the clearing. Inside was a big metal pod, still burning hot to the touch, with a door on it. The door was peculiar, with eight locks, each one apparently needing to be a certain temperature, if the thermometers next to each lock were anything to judge by. Bruce wondered if there was anybody inside. The pod had apparently gotten to the right temperature, because the door made a hissing sound, and opened outward. Bruce looked inside.
The pod was empty. Bruce felt the urge to explore, even stronger now that he was closer to the pod. He stepped inside. A computerized voice said, "Welcome. Please insert a year, month, and date in the keyboard below. Be sure to label it AD or BC. Then, think about the location you want the pod to go to. Thank you."
Wow, thought Bruce, a time machine! He entered in the day he was born, October 27, 1991(AD of course), And hit the Enter key. He felt the pod vibrate. "Thank you," said the computerized voice, "Please sit down. The Time Pod will depart momentarily."
Bruce sat down in the chair next to the keyboard. The pod felt like it was going through some turbulence, except times 10. He closed his eyes. He felt a little queasy. Then everything was still. Absolutely, utterly, unnaturally still. Bruce opened his eyes.

Chapter 3: The Birthday

The door swung out. Bruce stepped out of the pod. He looked around. He was in front of the hospital where he had been born, St. Jude's Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He walked through the front doors. They were his favorite type, the kind that revolve around and around. He walked up to the front desk.
"Hello," said the receptionist, "May I help you?"
"Yes," said Bruce, "Is there a patient named Jennifer Robinson here? Her baby is expected today. I'm a visitor."
"Room 704 on floor 8" the receptionist said, "Make sure to wash your hands at the sanitary station before entering the room."
Bruce walked up to the elevator behind the desk. He pushed the button, and the doors slid open. Bruce stepped inside, and pushed the button for the eighth floor. His hands were shaking. The elevator stopped.
The doors opened. Bruce stepped out. He decided he would just go outside the door, and peek in if and when a nurse came in or out. He didn't want his parent to see him, or himself(the past him) to see him, if he was born already. It was that whole "time paradox" thing. Maybe if someone saw him, he would cease to exist. He wondered what that would feel like. Maybe he wouldn't feel it at all, since he wouldn't exist. Maybe he would live, but have no memory at all because he had stopped existing. The other him, the past him, would have, anyway. Maybe it would feel like all the powers of the universe pulling him apart, in several directions, gravity in one, strong wind in one, strong currents in yet another, etc. Maybe it would feel like a million fishhooks pulling him. Maybe it... There were so many things that could happen to him, like, about 9! ! Bruce liked factorials. He liked all kinds of math. And thinking about reality, about now, about him, brought him back to earth.
Bruce found himself walking down the eighth floor. He stopped outside room 704. There were chairs across the hall. Then Bruce remembered. He needed to wash his hands, the receptionist had said. He looked around and saw the station. He dashed inside, washed his hands as to not spread possible sickness and possibly infect himself(the past him), and went outside. He sat on one of the chairs. Right after he sat down, a nurse came out. She walked past without once looking at him. He looked past the slowly closing door. He could barely see his mom, dressed in hospital clothes, looking much younger. Bruce wondered if he would age any from this trip. Maybe when he got back he would be older than when he left. The door closed.
Bruce dashed to the nearest window. He saw the Time Pod outside. He only saw the edge, though. It was well hidden around a corner. If he hadn't known where to look, he wouldn't have seen it. Good. His ride home was still there. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief.

Chapter 4: The Exit

Bruce turned from the window. He had remembered something his dad had once told him. Right after he was born, a 3:52 PM, his dad had come out of the room to go to the bathroom. When he had returned, he saw 5 nurses taking care of Bruce. He glanced at his watch. It was 3:50 PM. He panicked and ran through the hall to the elevator, then decided to take the stairs instead. He sprinted down them, taking them three at a time. He pushed on the revolving door, and burst out into the fresh air. He stopped to catch his breath. It felt like he had been stabbed in the side. He must have looked like a madman, running through the hospital like that. The police were probably on their way. There was no way Bruce could get caught. He would be sent to jail. Bruce walked over to the Time Pod and stepped inside. He wondered what it would look like when it departed. He walked over to the keyboard and typed in 3000 AD. The computerized voice spoke, but Bruce was too tired to hear what it said. He closed his eyes and sat down. He was safe. For now, at least. He hoped he hadn't caused any events that led to him ceasing to exist. He wondered again what that would feel like. He sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.

Chapter 5: Technical Difficulty

Bruce must have fallen asleep, because he was woken up by the computerized voice saying, "Technical difficulty. Crash landing in 2003 AD." Ah thought Bruce, Home sweet home. He felt the pod land. The computerized voice said "Please enjoy your stay here in 2003 AD. The Pod will repair itself in 5-7 days."
Bruce stepped outside. He was in the familiar clearing in the woods. It looked to be about the same time as when he left. He hurried home. He dashed inside the front door. Bruce's dad, Carl Robinson, looked up from the kitchen table.
"Ah, there you are, Bruce. Time to go read."
Bruce always went to bed at eight and read until nine. He loved to read. He thought again, Home sweet home.
Every day after that, Bruce went to check on the pod. Finally, on the sixth day, the Pod said it was ready to go. Bruce decided to sneak out that night and try again to travel.
That night, Bruce went back to the clearing and entered the pod. The voice said, "Cause of accident identified. Press i for more information." Bruce pressed the i key on the keyboard. The voice said, "The Time Pod hit a wall. A wall of evil. A wall of corrosion. The Pod landed so as to avoid any damage. The wall was in 3000 AD. Explanation complete. Please enter a year below." Again, Bruce entered in 3000 AD. He sat down. He hoped the Pod wouldn't hit the wall again.It didn't. The door opened. What Bruce saw made him gasp.

Chapter 6: The Future - for a regular person

Outside was a huge fortress. Bruce appeared to have landed right inside its first walls. The fortress must have been about 2 leagues long. It had evil-looking flags all over it. The flags had a picture of a ghost putting a noose around a mans neck, with the words "Phantom Empire" in red underneath it. Bruce decided to use the Time Pod to land at the top of the fortress. He turned around and went back in. He went over to the keyboard and typed in 3000 AD in again. He thought really hard about the top of the fortress. When the Pod landed, Bruce came outside. He looked around, and... Busted. A man dressed in red with a nasty-looking gun in a holster said, "Who're you? Stop right there!"
Bruce froze.
"Do you think we're not smart enough to have defenses against Time Pods, to keep unwanted persons out of the fortress? Huh? Come with me."
Bruce walked ahead of the man through the doors ahead of him, up several flights of stairs and at last into a room. Bruce looked around and saw a man dressed in all red, except with a streak of white next to a streak of black around his waist.
"Sir," said the red-cloaked man.
"You may go," said the important-looking man. The man walked out. "So, said the man, "You were foolish enough to come here with a Time Pod, boy? What is your name?"
"Jack," Bruce lied.
"Jack. What is your business here?"
"I hit a wall the first time I came here, so I came back to see what it was all about."
"Playing the hero, I see. You're saying you don't know about the Phantom Empire? Well, then, let me explain. The Phantom Empire or P.E, is an organization meant to purge the world of stupidity and fill it with the brilliant. Anyone who does not meet our standards are executed or banished if they are lucky."Bruce thought he made not being smart sound like a crime. "Anyone who tries to enter the fortress is tested earlier than the rest- which would be when they are of age- and if they fail, tortured until they die. So you see, you should have asked around before you entered the fortress. Now, if you don't pass the test, you will die a terrible death." He reached over and pulled a cord. A bell rang. Another man dressed in red appeared.
"Yes, my liege?"
"Take Jack here to his testing room."
"As you wish, my liege."
The man pushed Bruce down the hall to a room. He pushed him inside and handed him a pen and a test with some scrap paper attached. Then he slammed the door shut. Bruce heard the latch on the other side. Oh, no! They'll kill me if I don't pass this test!, Bruce thought. He sat down at the table in the middle of the room. He looked at the first problem. Above were the instructions. They said to ring the bell if you needed anything. The first problem read:
1) 88% of 76.325/5*80-86 squared*50,983-x*y for x= 8,763,091 and y= 758,303,948,982
It's hopeless, thought Bruce, Oh, I wish the Time Pod were here. While he thought that, he dropped his pen on accident. It fell behind the pull rope. Bruce reached for it and got his arm tangled in the rope. He grabbed the pen, but as he was pulling back his hand, he accidentally pulled the cord. The bell rang. Bruce turned around and saw it. The Time Pod was there. At first Bruce thought it was a hallucination, a mirage, an optical illusion, some trick of the mind. But he blinked and it was still there. Unfortunately for him,the man appeared at the door at that moment and saw the Pod.
"What the? How did that get here? I thought they couldn't come by people just thinking about them...Oh, no! It's bonded with him! Not good!"
Bruce heard him fumbling with the latch. He dashed to the Time Pod and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He didn't type anything in, but the Pod seemed to know where he wanted to go without him telling it. It took off.
Bruce leaned against the wall of the pod and thought, That was a close one! He didn't even need to sit down any more. The Pod landed. The door opened.

Chapter 7: The Home of a Time Traveler...Or Two

Bruce stepped outside. He looked around. The sight he saw was very fascinating. There were dozens of time pods here, along with a hotel with a sign that said "Time Pod Hotel Resort. Relax in between your time travels." Bruce exited the Pod. He wondered how he would find it. He decided to move it. He turned to go back in, and the Pod vanished. He looked around. He saw it again, where he had been planning to move it-next to the hotel. It was like it was reading his mind, and judging by the fact that he only had to think about a location to go to, and just now, it probably was. Bruce shrugged and walked inside the hotel. He walked up to the front desk.
"Hi," Bruce said, "I'm new here. Could you tell me what this is?"
"Certainly," said the cheery male receptionist, "The Time Stop is a place where time is nonexistent. The Time Masters, the ones who travel in the Pods, stay at this hotel. There are only a handful of Masters, however, who bond with their Pods. The Pods are very special, and we make only a few a year, because they need a certain material called polyfiglasphabio, which is very rare and only found on Earth between the years 2900 AD and 3100 AD, when the Phantom Empire rules. Rules, not ruled. Time is nonexistent here, remember. When the Pods are finished, we send them to different planets. Then new Masters use them. Only True Masters can bond with their Pods. They must have very many extraordinary qualities. Then, the Pods help them in times of trouble. Whenever you decide to leave the Time Stop, your Pod will be right outside the door. That is one of the things about this place. Bonds are strengthened, resolves reinforced."
"Thanks," said Bruce, "But what happens to the Phantom Empire?"
"Why, actually, they get taken down by a twelve-year-old boy. It is said that he and his Pod worked together, that he was a True Master. Mighty young for a True Master, I say. But he must have been. I would be honored to have him stay here. But I suppose he's out there, fighting in some other time era."
"Thanks." said Bruce, A twelve-year-old boy, did he say?
"You are welcome."
Bruce went outside and stepped in his waiting Time Pod. "Why did you bond with me? I'm just an ordinary boy," he said aloud.
To his surprise, the computerized voice said,"Because you aren't just an ordinary boy. You're something extraordinary. You were the one in the Prophecy of the Time Masters and Time Pods.
The voice proceeded to tell Bruce some very startling and unexpected and unexplainable things, some of them things he wished the voice hadn't told him.

Chapter 8: The Prophecy

"The Prophecy of the Time Masters and Time Pods was discovered many years ago, when the material polyglasphabio was created. It was before the Time Pods and Masters were created. It goes:
Unto Earth shall a boy be born,
No glamor or regality in his name,
However, a power will glow from him,
An aura of calm, just the same.
He shall become one with the Pods,
And they shall bow to him.
He shall fight the powers of evil,
and the stars will tremble before his name.
He shall be a hero, and when at last he reaches the crossroad of destiny,
For way leads on to way,
The choice shall be his: the Rise or Downfall of History, of the Future, and of the Present.
Whichever he chooses he shall stay true to,
and Good or Evil shall be one with his name.

"You are the one. Only True Masters may see the True Essence of the Pods, what we really are, but that is exactly what you are. You are me and you combined, and I am you and I combined. You are ready, even if you have had no preparation. Come. Let us go. See that green button? Push it, and type in 0. Get ready...Here we go!
And the wind was howling, the temperature rising, waves crashing around, all the powers of the universe in contrast, all of them in a battle. Then that stopped. Everything was absolutely, completely still, gloriously still.
Bruce walked over to the door, stepped out, and looked around. He saw a breathtaking sight. He saw the stars, the planets, the galaxies, the people and all the inhabitants. He saw the beauty of every world, and yet something was wrong. Then he realized. He could also see all the evil of all the worlds. True, all the beauty combined was amazing, but there was a lot of evil when it was combined. It was sad, all those worlds on the brink of despair, all of those people who are searching for their light, who have lost sight of it. It was mortifying.
"You see," said the Pod, "This is what we are, this is our essence. We are beauty and darkness, victory and defeat, hope and fear, vengeance and mercy. We are all of this, and the True Masters understand this. They understand why we are like this, and what we are. We cannot help it, nobody can change who they are. Nothing can change what it is. They can evolve, discover themselves, but no matter what, different faces appear, different personalities, but always the same man. Always the same man. You cannot escape what you are, for if you did, you would not be you, but someone or something else. Your soul is your essence. It is a very complex and complicated thing. We are what we are, not what someone else is. All things have souls, be them alive or dead. They all exist. They all are. The Time Pods and Time Masters are no different. As we exist, we are. We have hope and fear, and in everybody's heart, and soul, there is yet darkness. But in most, there is a relieving amount of light and beauty. A very comforting amount of light."
"I think I finally understand. We cannot escape what we are, nor what we shall be. Is that it?" asked Bruce.
"Mostly, yes." said the Pod, "and we must remember that. It is not anybody's fault for being them. We must have sympathy for them."
"Okay. Where to next?" asked Bruce.
"To 3000 AD to stop the Phantom Empire, for you, and to possible get some polyglasphabio to make some more Time Pods, for me. Just think about me when you're done, and I will come. We are bonded now, for better or for worse."
"Okay," said Bruce, "To 3000 AD it is. Do I still have to type in stuff on the keyboard?"
"Not anymore. And that wall we hit before...That was a kink in the essence of the Pods. We should check that out after 3000."
"Agreed," said Bruce, "Let's go!"

Chapter 9: A week in the life of a time traveler... Or is it? What is a week to a time traveler?

The Pod landed. Bruce stepped outside. He was at the top of the fortress. He heard the Pod say behind him, "Now you can use the power of the light, which is very powerful indeed. However, do not use it as a weapon, only use it as a cure."
"Ten four," said Bruce. You go try to find some polyglasphabio. I'll do my work here."
"Okay. And in case one of us doesn't come back... I have been honored to be your Pod. I have learned a lot from you. But now that you are a True Master, if you die, I, your Pod, shall die as well. Bear that in mind. I'll see you later, right?"
"Right." Bruce was thinking to himself, When did I become so... mature? When did Bruce the immature boy turn into Bruce the mature True Master? Why? How?
"Because you are the one in the prophecy. Yes, I can read your mind, but not in the sense you think. The prophecy has changed your destiny, although for better or for worse, I cannot tell. Not yet. But we shall see. Now, off with you!"
"Wait, one more thing, what is your name?"
"I have no name and all names, but you may call me Nora."
Bruce turned away. He saw the guard coming towards him, mouth opening to shout. He reached deep inside of him, searching...searching...got it! The power of the light. He thought of what Nora had said. Not to use it as a weapon, only to heal. He decided to heal the cruelty in the man's heart. He thought as hard as he could about that image, praying it would work.
The man stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth snapping shut. He walked right past Bruce and through the fortress gates. Bruce breathed a sigh of relief. A thought occurred to him. Maybe he could just use the power of the light to heal everything and everyone in 3000. But Nora's voice came into his head, pieces of things; We cannot escape what we are...Only to heal...Nothing and everything...everywhere and nowhere...Then, clearly, Bruce! You are the chosen one of the prophecy. Did you just feel guilt right then? That is proof you are a True Master. True Masters, the good ones, not the evil ones, do not do things the easy way. The do them the right way. That is what makes the bad Masters bad, and their poor Pods who must follow their master's will. The bad Masters convince the people to do things the easy way, even if that is the wrong way. Never listen to anyone who tells you this. They are wrong. We are right. You know what I said about not being able to tell Time is immaterial with True Masters. They live forever. Time exists only so that things can be created, and to keep order. The Creator made it so. if you were on Good's side or Evil's side? Well, I can tell that you are on Good's side now, just be sure not to let that change, for I would be forced to come along with you.Who is the Creator, you ask? Hehehe... Where to begin. I will tell you, Bruce, my master, my friend.

Chapter 10: Creator and creation, Creator or creation?

The creator was the one who made you, me, the earth, the sky, Nora began, he also made the sun and rain, which are very different, yet you need both for a beautiful flower to grow. Sun and rain, earth and sky, fire and water, strong and weak, vicious and sweet. The Creator made them all. The Creater made light, but to balance it, he also made darkness. Beauty and twisted evil, hate and peace, tranquility and violance... the world is full of opposites and balances. Opposite attract, however. A negative plus a negative equals a positive. The Creator made it so. The Creator wanted the world to be full of fighters,
not people who are used to having what they want. The Creator wanted them to not get stuff easily, but to sacrifice stuff for it.The Creator
made the Light, and the Light made beauty, and it kept going. But some people have let go of the Light, and embraced the shadows.
As Time Masters and True Masters and TIme Pods, we must try to reclaim those people, bring them back to the Light.

TO BE CONTINUED...- professor2009AKA Alex H(But if you read this from top to bottom, you would know that, wouldn't you?)
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